Baseball History Comes Alive

Captain Ted Williams Recalled to Active Duty, January 9, 1952

Gary Livacari

4 years ago

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Ted Williams Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:

Schoolboy Rowe with the Phillies poses with Ted Williams

Ted Williams with the only player to pinch-hit for him, Carroll Hardy

Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams

Dom DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams

Red Sox players including Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams at B’nai Brith dinner

Jimmie Foxx is greeted by Ted Williams as he crosses home plate.

All stars including Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams

The only player to pinch hit for Ted Williams was Carroll Hardy

Carroll Hardy is the only player to pinch hit for Ted Williams

Ted Williams talks hitting with young teammate

Ted Williams – 17

Ted Williams gave Al Smith tips on hitting at the 1955 All-Star game.

Ted Williams -2

A young Ted Williams

Eddie Collins with Babe Ruth and Ted Williams

All-Stars including Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays

Carl Yastrzemski with Ted Williams, two player Carroll Hardy pinch hit for

Teammates Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Vern Stephens, Johnny Pesky

Teammates Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio

Ted Williams with the DiMaggio brothers, Joe and teammate Dom

Fighter pilot Ted Williams

Ted Williams and Jackie Jensen

Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio

Harry with Ted Williams

Yogi Berra and Ted Williams

Ted Williams is sworn into the Army

Hank and Ted Williams

Beautiful colorization of a young Ted Williams by Don Stokes from a Charles Conlon classic

HOF inductees Casey Stengel and Ted Williams, 1966

Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Tony Oliva and Red Schoendienst at the 1966 Hall-of-Fame game

Nice portrait photo of a young, handsome Ted Williams

Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Muhammad Ali

Ted Williams as he appeared later in life.

Ted Williams, colorized by Don Stokes

Ted Williams giving his Induction speech on July 25, 1966.

Ted Williams Recalled to Active Duty, January 9, 1952

Let’s Remember One of the Greatest Individual Seasons of All-Time: Ted Williams’ Historic 1941 Season

“If there was ever a man born to be a hitter it was me…A man has to have goals – for a day, for a lifetime – and that was mine, to have people say, ‘There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived’ ” –Ted Williams

Sixty-nine years ago yesterday, January 9, 1952, marked the anniversary of an important day in the life of Ted Wiliams. The Red Sox’ great outfielder was being recalled to active duty. Ted had already missed three years due to service in World War II. In the months ahead, Ted will be tasked with flying 39 combat missions and will survive a crash-landing after being shot down. Ted won’t return to the Red Sox until late in the 1953 season.

This occasion gives me a chance to say a few words about the career of one of baseball’s all-time greats, and especially to highlight his historic 1941 season.

Ted Williams’ Staggering Career Numbers

The quotes above may sound cocky, but as Dizzy Dean once said ”It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it”, and, as we all know, there was never any doubt that Ted Williams could “do it”!

There’s also little debate that Ted Williams was the greatest pure hitter the game has ever seen. He played his entire 19-year major league career with the Red Sox (1939–1942 and 1946–1960). He was a seventeen-time All-Star, a two-time American League Most Valuable Player, a six-time American League batting champion, four-time American League home run leader, four-time American League RBI leader, and a two-time Triple Crown winner.

Over his career, in which he lost three full seasons and parts of a fourth to military service, he hit .344 (seventh all-time), with 2,454 hits, 521 home runs (19th all-time), 1837 RBIs (14th all-time), and a .482 on-base percentage (first all-time). His .634 slugging average is second all-time, behind only Babe Ruth’s .689. His 191 career OPS+ is also second, behind only Ruth’s 206 (100 being the major league average).

The “Splendid Splinter’s” Historic 1941 Year

Ted Williams’ 1941 season is often considered to be the best offensive season ever, even though the MVP award that year went go to Joe DiMaggio. He led the league in all the following categories: runs (135), home runs (37), walks (147), batting average (.406), on-base percentage (.553), OPS (1.287), and OPS+ (235). His .406 batting average is still the highest single-season average in Red Sox history, the highest batting average in the major leagues since 1924, and the last time any major league player has hit over .400. His .553 OBP and .735 slugging average are both also the highest single-season averages in Red Sox history. The .553 OBP stood as a major league record for 61 years, and his .735 slugging percentage was highest in the major leagues between 1932 and 1994. Williams also had 185 hits and was second in RBIs with 120. He accomplished all this while striking out only 27 times in 606 plate appearances.

Would He Sit Out the Last Two Games?

On September 28, before the final two games of the 1941 regular season, a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, he was batting .39955, which would have been officially rounded up to .400. Red Sox manager Joe Cronin offered him the chance to sit out the final day, but Ted Williams famously declined, saying: “If I’m going to be a .400 hitter I want more than my toenails on the line.” He proceeded to go 6-for-8 and finished the season at .406.

1941 All-Star Game, His Greatest Thrill

In the fourth inning of the 1941 All-Star Game, Ted Williams doubled to drive in a run. In the ninth inning, the American League trailed 5-4 and with runners on first and third, Williams homered “with his eyes closed” to secure a 7-5 American League win. Williams later said that that game-winning home run “remains to this day the most thrilling hit of my life.”

Ted Williams was a first-ballot selection to the Hall of Fame in 1966 and his #9 has been retired by the Red Sox. He was named to the Major League All-Century team and the Major League Baseball All-Time team.

What would Ted Williams’ numbers be if he had not lost all that time serving his country? We can only speculate.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Ted Williams stats from Baseball Reference.com

Check out my latest book, recently nominated for the SABR 2020 Lawrence Ritter Award: “Reflections on the 1919 Black Sox: Time to take Another Look,” now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback. All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation: https://amzn.to/2uk6KBU

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